Accumulator control valve



Dec. 1', l942.- T D 2,303,711

ACCUMULATOR common VALVE mvzu ron MYER' N. STADLIN ATTORNEY Filed Aug. 23, 1941 IIIIIII'" Patented Dec. 1, 1942 ACCUNIULATOR CONTROL VALVE Myer N. Stadlin, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to The Baldwin Locomotive Works, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 23, 1941, Serial No. 408,059

2 Claims;

and to the pumping elements as to form a complicated and unified system of many ramifications. Heretofore it has been frequently necessary to employ special piping and control valves between the pumps, accumulators and presses in order to accommodate separate check and safety valves and even then serious limitations were often encountered as to installing the check and safety valves in the most desirable positions as is now possible with my improved valve.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved valve mechanism that is adapted to function not only as a safety valve to shut off flow of fluid from an accumulator when its ram reaches a predetermined low position, but also to allow fluid to be pumped back to the accumulator through the valve without necessitating initial opening thereof.

A further object is to provide an improved valve mechanism that is relatively simple and economical in its construction and operation, is direct and positive in its action and is structurally compact and readily accessible for inspection or repair.

Other objects and advantages will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic outline of an accumulator and hydraulic press employing my improved valve mechanism; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View through the improved valve.

A hydraulic press as diagrammatically indiuated at I may be considered as having a cylinder 2 in which a ram 3 is moved upwardly by fluid pressure supplied from an accumulator diagrammatically indicated at A. An accumulator ram 5 is suitably loaded by a weighted structure 6 which moves downwardly with the ram as liquid is forced from the accumulator cylinder 1 through a pipe 8, safety valve 9, three Way press control valve Illa and pipe [0 to the press cylinder 2. By rota-tingvalve 1.0a to its exhaust position fluid from the press'cylinder is discharged into a pump sump tank lllb, the accumulator pipe it ibeing simultaneously closed. After a series of press operations the accumulator becomes low and must be recharged. a

The movable element of the accumulator carries a rod H which has a yieldable foot [2 adapted to engage lever 13 of my improved valve when the accumulator reaches a predetermined .low position as shown in Fig.1. To gradually stop movement of the accumulator, valve lever I3 is pivotally supported at 1'4 upon the valve body while a movable valve element I5 is pivotally connected at It to the lever. The valve element is provided with ports I! and t8 adapted in the position shown in Fig. '2 to allow flow of fluid from accumulato-rpipe '8 to press pipe t0, but as the accumulator rod ll moves lever l3 counterclockwise valve l5 is gradually raised to a point where port It is completely cut off by the valve body at a point 20.

If it is now desired to raise or recharge the accumulator, a motor driven pump 2| is operated to supply fluid to pipe H] from sump llib through ports I! and I8 to a hollow interior 24 of the valve element l5. The fluid pressure forces a check valve 25 downwardly against a spring 26 to allow the pump fluid to flow through a series of ports 21 to pipe 8 and thence to accumulator cylinder 1. This operation does not require any opening movement of valve element l5 but nevertheless the valve will ultimately open by reason of rod H moving upwardly with ram 5 as fluid is supplied to accumulator cylinder 1. Upward movement of rod ll allows a weight 28 to move valve lever l3 clockwise and accordinglymove valve element l5 downwardly so as to connect pipe 8 with pipe [0 through ports I1 and Ill. The check valve 25 is built within the valve element IE to move as a self-contained part thereof, it being understood that spring 26 is seated upon a plug 29 threaded into the lower end of valve element l5 which slides in a suitable packing gland 30.

From the foregoing disclosure it is seen that I have provided an extremely simple, compact and effective valve mechanism adapted to function as a cushioning and safety valve to gradually shut off discharge of fluid from the accumulator cylinder when it is nearly empty and yet permit the accumulator to be recharged by fluid pressure supplied from a pump through the valve mechanism without initially requiring the same to be open. This arrangement avoids the necesexposed to fluid pressure from the accumulator system.

It will of course be understood that Various changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An accumulator valve adapted for connection to a pipe through which fluid is discharged from or supplied to an accumulator comprising, in combination, a valve body having a bore from which two lateral passages extend to serve respectively as an inlet and outlet or vice versa depending upon whether fluid is being discharged from or supplied to the accumulator pipe, a hollow main valve element movably disposed in said bore and having ports adapted to place said inlet and outlet passages in direct communication with each other or to close said communication, an axial port in the end of said valve element having communication at all times with the interior thereof and the interior of said main valve element also having communication at all times with said lateral passage which constitutes an outlet during discharge of fluid from the accumulator, a check valve for said axial port subjected to pressure in said last mentioned lateral passage when said main valve is closed, and a lateral port communicating solely with said lateral passage which is connected to the accumulator whereby pressure fluid may flow in a reverse direction from one of said lateral passages through the interior of said main valve to open said check valve and then flow to the accumulator while said main valve remains closed.

2. An accumulator valve adapted for connection to a pipe through which fluid is discharged from or supplied to an accumulator comprising, in combination, a valve having a bore from which upper and lower lateral passages extend to serve respectively as an inlet and outlet or vice versa depending upon whether fluid is discharged from or supplied to the accumulator pipe, a hollow main valve element axially movable in said bore and having axially spaced lateral ports adapted to respectively communicate with said upper and lower lateral passages to allow direct communication between the same through the interior of said valve element or to close said lower lateral passage while maintaining communication between the interior of said valve element and said upper lateral passage, an axial port in the end of said valve element having communication at all times with the interior thereof, a check valve for said axial port and adapted to be opened in response to pressure in the interior of said main valve element when the same is in its closed position, and a port in said main valve element adapted upon opening of the check valve to allow communication between said upper and lower lateral passages through the interior of said main valve element while the latter remains in its closed position.

MYER N. STADLIN. 

